Once again, winter weather conditions have put a damper on local saltwater fishing. Still, the crabbers have to tend their pots and reports are decent for the tasty Dungeness. This time of year, avid anglers sometimes have to look for alternatives in order to wet a line, find some action or put fresh fish on the table.

One often-overlooked choice is Lake McAlpine, which is located in nearby San Juan Bautista and open year-round. A privately owned and family-friendly park, no fishing license is required at McAlpine. Stocked with bass, catfish, bluegill and planted trout, fishing success is almost guaranteed at this small scenic lake. All fishing is catch and release, except for the trout, which must be kept. Manager Rob Dooley says most trout are in the two-pound range, though some of the more wily fish get larger. A recent trout plant of 1200 pounds has kept the lake very productive, according to Dooley. "They're catching fish left and right anywhere along the shore, location doesn't seem to matter." Anglers have been finding success with chartreuse PowerBait, nightcrawlers or using green and silver KastMasters. A little closer to Santa Cruz, Pinto Lake in Watsonville received a California Department of Fish and Game trout plant on Wednesday. 1000 pounds of 8-10 inch planter trout were deposited in the lake, which should keep anglers at Pinto busy for a while.

In the salt, heavy seas and high winds continue to vex the local crabbers, who string their pots off the North Coast in 180-220 feet of water. Technically outside of the protected Monterey Bay, conditions are always rougher in that area. Gerry Brookes from Reel Sportfishing is in wintertime mode these days, running crab and sanddab trips on his boat the Doble. "It is a really good year for crab, one of the best I remember," says Brookes. "We are running 11 crabpots and are getting 30-60 Dungeness every trip."

Brookes will also be heading out this weekend (weather permitting) for a Humboldt squid-scouting trip. The giant squid school up in very deep water and provide a terrific fight as well as delicious table fare. They commonly weigh up to 30 or 40 pounds or even larger. Brookes plans to locate the schools then provide charter trips for the big squid.

With the recent rains, we should start to see adult steelhead in our local streams soon. The rainstorms are a bonus for sturgeon hunters in San Francisco Bay. Though early in the season, we are already receiving reports of sport-caught sturgeon from the China Camp, Oakland Airport and Dumbarton Bridge areas of the bay. Ghost or grass shrimp seem to be the best bait right now, but with herring starting to spawn near San Francisco, using the baitfish should be productive as well.